Friday, September 30, 2016

October 1, 2016

"When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask." Matthew 6:7-8

As we have been examining this teaching of Jesus on prayer we have learned two truths from Him thus far:

1) Pray sincerely
2) Pray secretly

Today we will examine a third - pray securely. Come to God in a secure knowledge He is leaning toward you welcoming your prayer. You don't have prattle on with long and pretentious prayers. God doesn't have to be leveraged, cajoled or nagged.

Force?

These two verses from Jesus' teaching on prayer beg the question, "Is it the force of your prayer OR is it the focus of your prayer?"

It seems that, based on how the religious leaders prayed, they thought they could "soften God up" or "wear Him down" or "win Him over" by the sheer force and volume of their prayers. 

Have you been tempted to think that way?


 "When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers." Matthew 6:7
  
  "Can worry make you live longer? Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn’t as well clothed as one of them. God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow.He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?
Don’t worry and ask yourselves,“Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these." Matthew 6:27-32
  
·  Focus?


When you pray, come to God with the secure knowledge of Who He is and who you are in Him.



  "Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you    need before you ask." Matthew 6:8

"I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth more than birds?" Matthew 6:25-26

"But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well." Matthew 6:33

THROUGHOUT THIS CHAPTER JESUS REFERS TO GOD AS “FATHER” AND INSTRUCTS US TO DO THE SAME! HE TELLS US TO FOCUS ON THAT WHEN WE GO TO PRAYER AND BE SURE KNOWING:

·       He hears you!
·       He listens to you!
·       He loves you!
·       He knows what you need!
·       He cares about your needs!
·       He will provide what you need!


I don’t know about you, but I get excited about the thought of a God I don’t have to try to leverage, or coerce, or force to get what I pray for. It gives me a great deal of security to go in a room and close the door and pray to a God who loves me and longs to spend time with me and knows what I need and who is willing and able to provide it!

Thursday, September 29, 2016

September 30, 2016

"When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you." Matthew 6:6

"When you pray", Jesus said, "Don't pray to make a public spectacle but go into a private place an close the door."

First, you are to pray sincerely and second you are to pray secretly.

Why pray privately not publicly?

  • What if prayer is about not you being seen but about you seeing God?
  • What if prayer is not about making an impression about God but about being impressed by God?
  • What if not about being heard by God but more about hearing from God?
  • What if prayer is not about displaying your religion in public but about developing a personal relationship in private?
  • What about making sure you spend time kneeling in private before you spend any time standing in public.

Do you think Jesus had any of these things in mind when He instructed His followers "When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door"? 

Notice that Jesus didn't say, "Stay in that room alone with God forever and never come back out." He calls you into the world of darkness to be a light. It was Him Who prayed that you would be "In the world but not of the world?"

There is no doubt God calls you into the world to witness and serve and seek to reach the lost. BUT, first He calls you into a room to shut the door and be alone with Him.

"When you pray, pray secretly."












Wednesday, September 28, 2016

September 29, 2016

"When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward." Matthew 6:5

If someone asked you, "What is the purpose of prayer?" how would you answer?

Why do you pray?

I can't predict how you would answer but I am sure you don't pray just so you can impress others. 

That's the attitude and the motive that Jesus detests. He found it detestable in the religious leaders of His day and since He never changes, we know He must still be disgusted by it!

Think about it!

Think about participating in a spiritual act intended to help you to enter into fellowship with God but you choose to use for the purpose of drawing attention to yourself.

Think about feigning prayer to a Holy Almighty God specifically for the purpose of gaining respect and building a reputation for yourself! How lousy is that?

When you pretend to be something you're not by doing something you don't really mean, what does that make you? 

A fake? 

A fraud?

A phony?

Jesus uses the word, "hypocrite". That word comes from the Greek word "hypocrisis" which is the word used for an actor in one of their many plays. An actor is a pretender playing the part of someone he is not. The very accomplished actor can make you actually believe that character he plays is really who he is!

"Don't do that!" Jesus says!

"Don't use prayer to be your fake self, use prayer to find your real self!"

Jesus said that if you are praying public prayers to gain the respect and admiration of others, then if you manage to gain that respect and admiration you have your reward!

Jesus never did that. He never prayed loud raucous prayers intended to call attention to Himself. The vast majority of His prayer was done in secret places.

Whether He prayed publicly or privately Jesus prayer powerful, simple and sincere prayers.

The word "sincere" comes from two Greek words "sine" and "ceris". Put together those who words are translated "without wax". 

Why is that a big deal?

Melted wax was often used by potters to fill in the cracks that might develop when the pots were in the kiln. The melted wax would be poured into the crack, smoothed off and painted over to hide the crack. Once the pot was painted it was then sold with the first quality pottery. If the pot was set out in the sun the wax would be melted and the fault exposed.

Because this practice was fairly common a reputable dealer would advertise his pottery was "sine" "ceris" or "without wax".

So Jesus is saying, "When you pray let your prayers be sincere - "without wax".

Jesus was also saying, "The prayers of the Pharisees and the religious leaders are insincere. When it comes to prayer they were "cracked pots".

Sincere prayer comes out of a proper motive. Jesus refers to the insincere motives of the religious leaders prayers:

  • They wanted to appear religious 
  • They wanted to attain a reward

However, Jesus prefers these motives for praying:

  • To enjoy a relationship
  • To enter into a reward

properly done allows you to enjoy a vital, vibrant and satisfying relationship with God. And when that happens He becomes you reward!


Are your prayers sincere?


















Pray Secure Prayers

"When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward. When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you. When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask."
Matthew 6:5-8

Jesus referenced how the Pharisees and religious leaders pray and then pointed out to His disciples, "Don't pray like this!"

So, they must have wondered, "Okay then, how should we pray?"

That was the question He was waiting for!

After pointing out two things the religious leaders where doing wrong with prayer He told them them three things they should do right!

When you pray:

1) Pray sincerely
2) Pray secretly
3) Pray securely

We will examine these three aspects of prayer that honors God.

Without getting into specifics (which I will) what differences can you see at face value?

What is the opposite of sincerity?

Is it not hypocrisy?

When the Pharisees and religious types of that day stood in very public places praying loudly and pretentiously how does that impact you?

Have you seen anyone pray like that?

If so, how did it make you feel?

Have you ever prayed like that?

It's one thing to pray fervent prayers in public if you are praying personal passionate prayers in private.

Don't you think you can pray more sincere prayer in public if you are praying regularly in a secret place?

Jesus said, "When you pray, GO INTO A ROOM ALONE."

When you intentionally decide to get alone with God to pray you are serious about praying! That has to be the most sincere form of prayer wouldn't you say?

And don't pray long, wordy, flowery, religious sounding prayers. 
Pray secure prayers.

What are secure prayers?

When I say "secure" prayers I am referring to prayers addressed by someone who is secure in his relationship with His Heavenly Father and confident he doesn't have to beg God to hear him.

Are you secure when you come to God in prayer?

Do you ever feel like you have to beg God to hear you when you pray?

"When you pray", Jesus said.

When Jesus says, "When you pray", I say, "You should listen and learn!"

Monday, September 26, 2016

September 27, 2016

"When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward. When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you. When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask." Matthew 6:5-8

When Jesus began His teaching on prayer He started with some things they should NOT do. 

Don't pray like the Pharisees and religious leaders.

Why?

They prayed publicly to try to impress people with their piety.

Imagine them standing on a busy street corner in downtown Jerusalem just waiting for rush hour when the crowd arrives and then they break into their loud and religious voice to offer up their prayers.

And, some people ARE impressed by the sounds of their voice and the intensity of their passion and the majesty of their words. Every in the immediate area hears their prayers but God doesn't.

So, they prayed to be honored by men and Jesus said, "They get their reward." Mission accomplished.

You may be thinking, "How phony is that! Who would do something like that?"

Really?

Remember the last time you asked to pray in Bible Study or LIFE Group or at church? Was your first thought, "What should I say?" or "What will people think?"

When you let those thoughts hinder you from praying you are falling into the same trap as the Pharisees and religious leaders.

Honestly, I have been at prayer meetings where the next person to pray did his best to top the last person who prayed who had tried to the better the person before him.

Jesus says, "Don't pray like that!"

Also, Jesus said, "Don't pray like them when they pray long and wordy prayers!"

Not only did these religious leaders attempt to impress people with their public prayers, they tried to impress God with their lengthy prayers.

Jesus made it clear that God doesn't need to be impressed not does He need to be impressed. God is a Father who wants to be approached by a humble, hungry and hurting child who needs a hug.

There are times when God, the Holy Spirit, lays the urgency of prayer on your spirit and calls you to intense and intimate prayer. But normally, it is not the length of your prayers or the form of your prayers and the formula of your prayers, it is the condition of your heart that brings results.

Jesus said, "When you pray, don't pray like them!"

Are you praying like them?

Are there any of these elements in your prayers?
































































September 26, 2016

"When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward. When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you. When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask." Matthew 6:5-8

You undoubtedly recognize that this teaching comes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is a vision statement for the Kingdom of God. Though the people of Israel were looking for Messiah that would come to restore God's Kingdom to Jerusalem, Jesus set about describing a spiritual kingdom He came to bring to God's people.

He also spends considerable time in these three chapters of teaching (Matthew 5-6-7) setting the standard for those how those who populate that Kingdom should think and behave. 

Central to those teachings is an understanding of prayer. Jesus wanted His followers to know when to pray, where to pray, who to pray and how to pray. We will be exploring those topics this week.

Jesus was aware that most people pray so He began this teaching with the statement with, "When you pray". You do pray. You will pray. You should pray. So, knowing the proper way to pray is basic training for a Christ-follower!

George Barna research says slightly more than four out of five adults in the U.S. (84%) claim they had prayed in the past week. That has been the case since Barna began tracking the frequency of prayer in 1993.

U.S. News and the Internet site Beliefnet funded a poll to learn more about why, how, where and when people pray. Here is a summary of the findings: 


· 75% percent were Christian. 
· 64% say they pray more than once a day.
· 56% say they most often pray for family members, with 3.3% saying that they pray for strangers.
· A little over 38% say that the most important purpose of prayer is intimacy with God.
· 41% say that their prayers are answered often.
· 1.5% say that their prayers are never answered.
· Over 73% say when their prayers are not answered, the most important reason is because they did not fit God’s plan.
· 5% say that they pray most often in a house of worship.
· 79% say that they pray most often at home.
· 67% say that in the past six months, their prayers have related to continually giving thanks to God.

A Newsweek poll titled “Is God Listening?” indicated that, of those who pray, 87% believed that God answers their prayers at least some of the time. Even so, unanswered prayers did not deter them from praying. 85% insisted that they could accept God’s failure to grant their prayers. Only 13% declared they have lost faith because their prayers went unanswered. 82% don’t turn away from God even when their prayers go unanswered. 54% say that when God doesn’t answer their prayers, it means it wasn’t God’s will to answer.

The things people pray for include health, safety, jobs, and even success, valid or not. 82% said they ask for health or success for a child or family member when they pray. 82% believed that God does not play favorites in answering prayers. 79% said God answers prayer for healing someone with an incurable disease. 75% asked for strength to overcome personal weakness. 73% answered that prayers for help in finding a job are answered. On the lighter side, 51% agreed that God doesn’t answer prayers to win sporting events. 36% have never prayed for financial or career success.

If prayer is that significant, and it is, then we should learn all about it. Then we should have a good understanding of it.

That's what we will focus on Jesus' teaching on prayer. So, how's your prayer life?